Home Depot employee accused of stealing $5K of tools

A Great Falls Home Depot employee has been arrested and charged with stealing almost $5,000 in power tools to sell at pawn shops.

Christopher Fisher, 44, is charged with a single count of theft by embezzlement in Cascade County District Court. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

According to charging documents, police detectives began investigating Fisher after receiving a tip that he had been pawning new power tools in their original packaging at local pawnshops.

Detectives reportedly determined that Fisher was employed at Home Depot in Great Falls, and worked with loss prevention staff there to determine that approximately 22 power tools were missing from the business.

The total value of the missing stock is $4,914.97, documents say.

Records collected from local pawn shops reportedly show that Fisher pawned 17 power tools at various shops in Great Falls.

Additionally, video footage from Home Depot allegedly shows Fisher pushing carts loaded with power tools out of the building on five occasions. At least once, he was taped concealing the tools by covering them in plastic shrink wrap, police say.

Fisher’s criminal history includes two previous theft-related felonies out of the state of Washington, charging documents say.

He was set to make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon, and prosecutors have asked that he be held on a $2,500 bond.

Reach Staff Writer Eric Dietrich at 791-6527 or edie

trich@greatfallstribune.com. He can also be followed on Twitter at @GFTrib_EricD.